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A former conservative minister and several French MPs are calling for a parliamentary inquiry into links between Steve Bannon, Donald Trump’s former advisor, and Marine Le Pen’s far-Right party.

Frédéric Lefebvre, who served as trade minister in the centre-Right government of President Nicolas Sarkozy, is urging the French parliament to investigate whether the anti-immigration party is guilty of “collusion with a foreign power”.

Mr Lefebvre made the demand in an open letter to the heads of the National Assembly’s law and foreign affairs committees after the public television channel France 2 revealed alleged close links between Ms Le Pen’s party and Mr Bannon.

A number of conservative, centrist and Socialist senators and members of the National Assembly are backing the call for an investigation into whether Mr Bannon’s relationship with the party constitutes illegal foreign meddling in a French election.

The France 2 report used previously unaired footage from an American documenary maker, Alison Klayman, showing Ms Le Pen’s partner Louis Aliot and another senior party official offering to let Mr Bannon attend meetings between Ms Le Pen and high-ranking French civil servants. Ms Klayman is making a film about Mr Bannon.

Steve Bannon, former chief strategist at the White House under Donald Trump, poses in his hotel room in central RomeCredit:
Chris Warde-Jones

Mr Lefebvre’s letter said the National Rally should be investigated “for collusion with a foreign power with the complicity of senior civil servants”. It accused the party of “acting against the interests of France” by offering to let “a damned soul of President Trump take part in secret meetings with senior French civil servants, prefects and ambassadors.” The letter said that Mr Bannon, an opponent of the European Union, has vowed “to plant a stake in the heart of Europe”.

Ms Le Pen dismissed the call for an inquiry as “an electoral manoeuvre by a movement [President Emmanuel Macron’s pro-EU centrist party] which is losing first place in the opinion polls.” The National Rally and Mr Macron’s party are polling neck and neck for next week’s European elections, with one survey showing Ms Le Pen’s party edging into the lead.

She said: “There is no American funding organised by Steve Bannon for the National Rally,” but she acknowledged receiving “very good advice” from him about raising funds in France. Her party said it would sue those demanding an inquiry for defamation.